‘Miss Piggy’ Pigsqueak Is an Early-Blooming Perennial for Sun or Shade
This bergenia’s bright pink flowers announce the spring, and its large, deep green leaves provide interest through summer and beyond.
'Miss Piggy' is a compact and tidy pigsqueak, or bergenia, that brings bright pink flowers to the garden in early spring. Its large, deep green leaves add bold texture throughout the growing season (and beyond, in warmer climates). This easy-to-grow perennial makes a good companion to both spring-blooming bulbs and perennials that come into growth and bloom later in the season. With its low growth and coarse foliage it can be planted in multiples as a ground cover, but it serves equally well as a solo accent or container plant.
Related: Pigsqueak makes a good companion to hellebores. Here are other great hellebore pairings: "What to Plant With Hellebores"
Common name: 'Miss Piggy' pigsqueak
Botanical name: Bergenia cordifolia 'Miss Piggy'
Type of plant: Evergreen to semi-evergreen perennial
Exposure: Part shade; tolerates full sun in Northern gardens) and full shade in Southern gardens
Flowers: Beginning in early spring, clusters of bright pink, geranium-like flowers open on thick stalks that rise through the large leaves.
Related: Bergenia flowers remind me of rock candy. Read about that and five other candy-like blossoms for the garden in "Unique Garden Flowers That Call Candy to Mind"
Foliage: Broad, dark green, cabbage-like leaves persist throughout the year. The foliage holds up best in Southern winters. New leaves, which form in spring, have a glossy sheen.
Size and habit: 'Miss Piggy' bergenia reaches 16 to 18 inches tall and 28 to 32 inches wide, with a mounding growth habit.
Related: Consider these ornamental trees and shrubs as companions to your bergenia: "10 Early-Blooming Trees and Shrubs for the Garden"
Origin: The species Bergenia cordifolia (syn. Bergenia crassifolia) is native to slopes and stream banks of northern China and Siberia.
How to grow it: Plant 'Miss Piggy' pigsqueak in rich soil that drains well but does not dry out. Like other bergenia, it thrives in part shade. It can take full sun in cooler climates, but in the heat of the South it needs protection from strong sun, especially in the afternoon. Remove old, tattered leaves in early spring. After the flowers fade, cut the flower stalks off at the base. Bergenia can withstand drought but performs much better with regular watering. USDA Zones 4–8.
Images courtesy of Proven Winners
